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Applicable for: Mac,Windows
Unblock safe apps by temporarily turning off your Norton protection
Introduction and prerequisites
In some cases, your Norton app may block suspected activity on your computer that matches a security-threat behavior. These activities may include downloading a file, auto-syncing a mobile device with your desktop computer, or accessing an application via the Internet. You may also receive repeated notifications to restart your computer.
If you know that the activity or application that triggers these notifications is safe, you can temporarily turn off Norton protection for a specified duration.
Turning off Norton protection leaves your computer vulnerable to attacks. If you want to turn it off to troubleshoot a problem, make sure you turn it back on.
Prerequisites:
For Windows, you must log on to your computer with an Administrator user account. Some settings may appear disabled (grayed out) for Standard user accounts.
Step-by-step instructions
Select one of the following based on your operating system:
Windows
Turn off Norton protection
To temporarily turn off Norton Protection, you need to log on to your computer with an Administrator user account. For Standard user accounts, some of the settings may appear disabled (grayed out).
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In the notification area on the taskbar, right-click the Norton app icon, and then click the following:
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Disable Auto-Protect
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Disable Firewall
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In the Security Request window, in the Select the duration drop-down list, select the duration for which you want to turn off Norton protection.
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Click OK.
Norton turns on the features automatically after the duration you specify in the Security Request window. To turn on Norton protection manually, in the notification area on the taskbar, right-click the Norton app icon, and then click Enable Auto-Protect/Enable Firewall.
Mac
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Open your Norton device security app.
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On the left pane, click Security.
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In the Security dashboard, click Smart Firewall.
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Next to Smart Firewall, move the green (ON) slider to disable Smart Firewall.
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In the alert window, select the duration for which you want to turn off Norton protection.
Norton turns on the features automatically after the duration you specify in the alert window. To turn on Norton protection manually, on the Norton app main window, under Smart Firewall, click Enable.
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When prompted, enter your Mac administrator password, then click OK.
Video: How to turn off Norton temporarily and to turn off Norton notifications on Windows
Last modified: 10/23/2026
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